Sasuke Smiled
by Tsuuuu-chan
Summary: And for the second time in three years, Sasuke smiled. SasuNaru, yaoi, OOC-ness, probably. It's not really at any given point in the manga, so I just picked three years, which would be after the arc we're currently in.


A/N: Woo! This isn't 100 Them Challenge, but I decided that I really, really, really needed to do a fic to this song. Because this song is awesome! It's _Breathe Into Me_ by RED, and it's probably one of my favorite songs by them. Although I do love all their songs. I would suggest listening to the song before or while reading, as it adds to the mood. Anyway, here it is. It's probably riddled with errors, but I've got to post and run. I'll edit it later. Please read and review! Much love!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters affiliated with it. They belong to Kishimoto-sensei.

Warning: Yaoi, OOC-ness probably.

* * *

_And this is how it feels when I ignore the words you spoke to me_

_And this is where I lose myself when I keep running away from you_

_And this is who I am when, when I don't know myself anymore_

_And this is what I choose when it's all left up to me_

--

Naruto stood facing the cliff, it's precipice a speck in the distance that you could only see if you looked straight up, just about breaking your neck in the process. It was a rusty color, sort of like the clay that some of the buildings in Konoha were made out of, but it was a darker shade with more rocks and cracks.

And he was nowhere near Konoha, anyway.

He was somewhere near the Otogakure, between that and Takigakure. He'd nearly broken his back trying to climb up this damn cliff twice, and he was bound and determined to make it to the top without any help from anyone.

Not like there was anyone around to help him, anyway.

He'd been travelling alone for the past two weeks, first heading to Takigakure, as it was a friendly village and would allow him to recuperate before the journey to Otogakure. He wasn't sure what he was hoping to find in the Sound, but he knew he needed to be there. For the last three years Sasuke had been out thinking he was learning something, or doing some good for the world, or something. And for the last three years Naruto hadn't been himself. Without a rival, a person is without motivation. Without a friend, a person is alone. So for the last three years, Naruto had been without motivation _and_ alone, and it was starting to wear on his sanity.

So one day Naruto had gotten up and walked straight to Tsunade's ovular office. He'd placed his head inside the door and said four words. "Going to get Sasuke." The Hokage hadn't tried to stop him, or even said anything. She'd just looked up from her papers and made silent eye contact with him. With a nod, Naruto slung a bag over his shoulder and set out with nothing but a goal.

His stay in Takigakure had been pleasant enough, if not a hair too long. He'd thought he was planning, but when faced with actually walking straight into Otogakure, it was a lot harder than it had seemed from his rented room in the peaceful Waterfall Village.

Two hours ago, he'd started along a path that was more of a gorge, or a canyon. A path was carved out through the middle of the land, and Naruto was walking straight through it. Five minutes before, he'd stopped dead in his tracks and had attempted to look up and see what was on top. When nothing was visible, his mind had set on getting to the lofty precipice.

It was no easy task, and Naruto wasn't even sure _why_ he was doing it. It probably wasn't going to get him any closer to his goal, but something seemed right about going to the top. He wanted to get to the top. He _needed_ it. And he wasn't going to be able to move forward until he could.

He looked up at the top, his shaggy blond hair blowing into his eyes. Internally he scoffed at himself for wasting time like this, yelling at himself for stalling so obviously; what was he scared of, anyway? This type of impulse activity was the type of thing that Sasuke looked down on. If it wasn't getting you closer to your goal, it wasn't necessary. If it wasn't necessary, it wasn't done. Those were the things that Sasuke had told Naruto so many times before he'd sauntered off into the waiting arms of that stupid snake, Orochimaru.

And it was like that that Naruto had _attempted_ to live. He wanted to become stronger. Stronger than Sasuke. So living like him seemed like a good choice. Of course, he could never be as disciplined as Sasuke himself, but he was pretty damn good at getting things done.

So normally even he, with the attention span of a squirrel, didn't dawdle on this sort of useless activity. He told himself on the outside that it was to make him stronger, to make himself better. But deep down he felt that he would be a million times closer to his goal if he could just get to the top of this cliff.

--

_Breathe your life into me_

_I can feel you_

_I'm falling, falling faster_

_Breathe your life into me_

_I still need you_

_I'm falling, falling_

_Breathe into me_

_Breathe into me_

--

Sasuke's hair blew in the gentle breeze that wafted across the flat, lifeless horizon. His raven locks tickled his nose, but he showed no reaction. He couldn't take his eyes away from the sight below him.

For the last three years, Sasuke had been attempting to complete his goals. He never goofed off. Ever. He did what must be done, when it had to be done. If it wasn't getting you closer to your goal, then it wasn't necessary. If it wasn't necessary, it wasn't done.

But whatever the hell Naruto had been doing those first twelve years sure seemed to work. But, then again, so did Sasuke's strategy. And it had gotten him to where he was on the scale of power, and he was happy. Well, as happy as he got, anyway.

So for the last three years, Sasuke hadn't smiled out of happiness even once. He grinned evilly, and he'd forced polite smiles when it was necessary, but he'd never, not once, smiled because he wanted to since he left that cursed village.

And his only theory so far was the lack of exposure to a certain blond's unique and mostly stupid comic routine of a life. If Sasuke had to name the emotion, he would say that he missed Naruto. He'd not had a decent rival since he left Konoha, and he'd certainly not had a friend. So Sasuke had strived for excellence so that he would meet the expectations that his teammate would have of him when they finally did meet again. And a feeling in Sasuke's bones told him that that time was lurking ever closer.

He moved to the very edge of the cliff looking down at the scene that wanted to bring laughter to his lips. But he repelled it, wrestled it to the ground.

He wouldn't laugh. Not yet.

--

_And this is how it looks when I am standing on the edge_

_And this is how I break apart when I finally hit the ground_

_And this is how it hurts when I pretend I don't feel any pain_

_And this is how I disappear when I throw myself away_

--

Naruto's left foot was so close the bottom of the cliff that his toe was touching the stone. This time he would make it. He _had_ to make it. Every ounce of his being told him that all he ever wanted was up on top of that cliff. Everything relied on his ability to make it to the top.

So he took three deep breaths, closed his eyes, and dashed. The chakra in his hands stuck solidly to the wall of rock, likewise in his feet. He bolted up the wall like a spider running from the shoe that tried to squash him. Sweat poured down his face, and he moved so quickly that it would take years of training to be able to watch his every motion.

A few more. A few more. A few more steps. A few more. Three. Two. One.

Naruto's eyes were still closed when he reached the top. In fact, he wasn't aware of the fact that he'd reached it until he could no longer feel the stone beneath his hands and feet. He propelled himself forward through the air, rolling up so that he would absorb the blow of the ground better.

His eyes remained closed. But he knew someone was there.

He was not alone on top of the cliff. And it was someone that Naruto knew.

There was no mistaking the chakra signature. Naruto knew better than anybody that the person to whom it belonged was adept at hiding it. Why that person wasn't bothering to do so now made his heart skip a beat. Slowly, slowly, he opened his eyes.

"Sasuke." It wasn't a question, and the name felt like fire rolling off the tip of Naruto's tongue. It was a sweet, gentle fire that held its root in his stomach, down in the very core of his being.

"Hn." Sasuke's response was so...expected. So..._him. _Naruto couldn't stop the loud, ringing laugh that erupted from his own mouth, then. It was pure, sweet, and something that Naruto had dearly missed. He hadn't laughed like this in a long time.

And for the first time, as he stood watching the blond, Sasuke smiled. It wasn't big, and it was there for no more than a fleeting instant. But Sasuke smiled, really and truly.

"What are you laughing at, dobe?" Sasuke drawled as Naruto's laughter died down.

"I'm laughing at you, teme." Naruto looked at the raven, fake loathing etched in his face. But Sasuke could tell that it was fake. You didn't have tenderness in your eyes when you felt true loathing. "I'm laughing at the fact that you're still yourself."

"Who were you expecting?" A gust of wind blew across the flat expanse. Naruto's eyes were temporarily hidden behind his golden locks.

"I'm not sure, exactly." He scratched his head. "But I wasn't expecting the old Sasuke."

"I'm not the same weakling I was when I couldn't finish you off at the Valley of the End. Don't kid yourself." Sasuke's tone and words bit into the fire in Naruto's belly. But it was undiminished.

--

_Breathe your life into me_

_I can feel you_

_I'm falling, falling faster_

_Breathe your life into me_

_I still need you_

_I'm falling, falling_

_Breathe into me_

_Breathe into me_

_Breathe into me_

_Breathe into me_

--

"Sasuke," Naruto whispered. "Sasuke, I think you're lying." The raven's head jerked at the acquisition. Naruto only had to blink before he could no longer see Sasuke standing in front of him. Instead, he felt steel against his throat and a presence behind him.

"Say that again," Sasuke threatened. Naruto gulped.

"I think you're lying, Sasuke. If you think you can do it, go ahead. They're not expecting me to come back from this alive, anyway. Let alone bring you back." Naruto shrugged a little. They waited in silence for a moment, neither of them moving.

Then, finally, Sasuke moved the sword away from Naruto's throat.

"You see, I told you so, teme," Naruto said. His words were mocking, but his tone was not. Sasuke scoffed and stepped away.

"You don't know why I'm keeping you alive," Sasuke said. He began to circle Naruto, like a shark circles its prey. "Maybe I need information. Maybe I need to capture you for Akatsuki." Naruto's eyes widened at the mention of that. He looked hard at the raven, wondering what his real motives were.

"Maybe," the blond conceded. "But I don't think that's why." Sasuke stopped his circling.

"Then why do you think it is?"

"The same reason that you didn't kill me back then." Naruto's eyes locked with Sasuke's, cerulean hitting onyx. "What that reason is, I don't know. Could be that you don't find me worthy. Could be that it won't bring you any closer to your goals." Sasuke's eyes narrowed at that. "Could be that you don't want to kill me anymore than I want to kill you."

"You're awfully glib. Saying things you don't understand." Sasuke scoffed again and turned his back to the blond.

"I do understand, Sasuke." Naruto took a few steps forward. "I want you to come back to Konoha." He reached out a hand to touch the raven's arm, but he jerked away from the touch, making the white fabric of his shirt ruffle around his arm.

"I'm not going back."

"You have to."

"I don't have to do anything."

"Please, Sasuke." Naruto tried to touch his arm again.

"_Don't touch me!_" Sasuke screamed, surprising Naruto. He further bemused the blond with a nice right hook, sending him stumbling backward.

"Dammit, Sasuke!" Naruto launched forward, aiming a kick at Sasuke's torso, but missing. "You have to come back!"

"I don't!" the raven returned, getting another solid punch into Naruto's face, this time bloodying his nose. The blond let out a scream of rage and pain, his eyes burning but keeping the tenderness. Sasuke knew that this was not a fight of power, but a fight of wills.

"Why?!" Naruto placed a well aimed kick into Sasuke's side, knocking the breath out of him for a moment. "Why won't you come back, Sasuke!? Why?!"

Sasuke didn't respond, instead choosing to throw a punch at the blond's head, but missing.

"Teme!" Naruto pounded a kick right into the raven's gut, sending him flying to the ground. "Do you hate me that much?!" Sasuke froze, letting Naruto come forward and grab him by the front of his shirt, lifting him up.

--

_Breathe your life into me_

_I can feel you_

_I'm falling, falling faster_

_Breathe your life into me_

_I still need you_

_I'm falling, falling_

_Breathe into me_

--

Sasuke refused eye contact, knowing that if he looked into those blue eyes the truth would come pouring out of him.

And he couldn't let that happen.

But Naruto's breath hitched, and Sasuke's head looked up from the ground of its own accord, forcing him to see the tear running down Naruto's face. Sasuke opened his mouth to talk, but the blond interrupted him.

"Fine, whatever! I don't care if you hate me! Go ahead, hate me with everything you have!" His usually strong voice broke. "But that's no decent excuse to turn your back on all the others. No matter how much of a bastard you are, there are people in Konoha who still care about your sorry ass, myself included. So whether you like it or not, I'm taking you back with me. You've been on this 'journey' long enough."

"Dobe!" Sasuke said, his voice strong and more emotion-filled than Naruto could ever recall hearing it. "Don't you _ever_ think that I hate you! I didn't leave because I hated you! Can't you _see_ that!? It's the exact _opposite_ of that!" Sasuke's eyes simmered with heat. "I left because I cared _too much_ about you!" Naruto's grip on the front of Sasuke's shirt loosened and he fell the few inches to the ground, landing with a thud. He glared at the blond for a moment before turning around and walking away.

"And it's for that same reason that I can't come back," he said with one backward glance. Naruto's mouth was hanging open and his eyebrows were knitted together.

"That's a stupid reason," Naruto said after a moment. Sasuke turned around to look at the blond again. "Why would caring cause you to _leave?_ I don't know about you, but I get a lot stronger, a helluva lot faster, when I'm with the people that I care about. Like when you and Sakura would train with me, I would make more progress." He tilted his head to one side. "And I gained the most strength over these last three years because I was trying to come and get you back."

"You'll never understand." Sasuke looked at Naruto like a teacher will look at a hated student. "You'll _never_ understand. So just leave and never come back."

"I used to be stupid," Naruto said. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at this statement, but didn't dispute it. "But I'm not anymore. I don't know what you think I won't understand, but I guarantee you that if you _try_ to explain it, I will."

"No, Naruto." Anything else that Sasuke had been about to say was cut off as he felt himself fall to the ground. Naruto was straddling him before he knew it, pinning his arms to the ground and looking at him with anger in his face.

"Explain it, teme," he demanded, but didn't give the raven the chance to do so. "I care about you too, you know."

"It's not the same!" Sasuke argued. "It's not the same kind of caring, Narut-" But he was cut off. Blessedly, heavenly, wonderfully. Sasuke's brain sort of melted in that time, but his instincts weren't affected. Thank whatever heavenly being there is. Because if he hadn't responded, Sasuke was sure the kiss would have ended sooner.

They broke apart with much panting, both of their faces beet red. Naruto let one of Sasuke's hands go and pushed a strand of black hair away from eyes that weren't sure what to do, or where to look.

"Yes, Sasuke, it is the same." With one heated look from those onyx eyes, Naruto was kissing him again, and this time more passionately. He let Sasuke's other hand go, and the pale digits fisted in blond hair.

And for the second time in three years, Sasuke smiled.

--

_Breathe your life into me_

_I'm falling, falling faster_

_Breathe your life into me_

_falling, falling, falling_

_Breathe into me_

_Breathe into me_

_Breathe into me_

_Breathe into me_


End file.
